Bombing desccents

[usedtobefast]

Yup, those expansion joints are HUGE! Couser Canyon has some nice descents!

I love descending, as far as I am concerned there is only one reason to climb and that is to descend. In 2004, Josh Wilson category A (?) racer (son of Michael Wilson http://www.winepunters.com/velo.html) and I hit 114 kph on the descent of the Tourmalet. I had no computer but he told me what we were doing when we reached the bottom. We were racing a Z4 BMW. We won.

Thanks Scott for the thoughts about Kevin. He and I had a lot of fun on those descents. Miss riding with him. He was a great guy.

i recall releaving myself on the bike at the bottom one year during SLR. after the joints. i had enough speed to catch back on.

 

[hwyrngr]

I hit 60mph on the descent of old 395 at San Luis Rey several years ago. There was a crash at the bridge juncture (going over I-15 Freeway) one year. I watched some guys hit the deck pretty hard. The next time I came around one of them was still laid out being attended to.

Is there still like a 2 inch difference between the asphalt road and the cement overcrossing? I remeber hitting that at like 50 and thought my wheels would break.

 

[Parrulo]

it really depends on my state of mind and how good i know and how good the surface is but i usually bomb a descend. . .

 

[slowoldman]

Did you guys go down when the roads were closed? I did it on the '07 TDF rest day (we saw Barloworld out training near Lourdes) and it was pretty busy going down the other side (the side that Andy won on last year) with traffic in all directions. I took it easy and I caught several cars, in fact I hit a small rock at over 60km/h, thankfully nothing happened. I did the Port de Bales the day before on the other side I was descending with some blokes from Utah and I couldn't keep up with them despite doing over 70km/h

Usually for me if I know a descent then I will go down quickly, but if I don't then I will ease my way down. My dad taught me what I know about cornering as he's been a motorcyclist all his life, and despite breaking my collarbone in May, I still like to go quickly down hill. The fastest I have gone in a race is 74km/h, and I had my hands on the hoods as well just freewheeling down.

It was right after stage 12 of the Tour, it finished in La Mongie. The other side was still closed to traffic coming up the mountain. So the right lane had some traffic and the left was wide open.

 

[iesous77]

Id rather die doing something i love than being alive yet not being able to do anything i love.


thats my thoughts so i will bomb it each and every time, if its too risky ill hold back but if not then nothing will stop me.

 

[MarkvW]

Id rather die doing something i love than being alive yet not being able to do anything i love.


thats my thoughts so i will bomb it each and every time, if its too risky ill hold back but if not then nothing will stop me.

Think vegetable. Think paralysis. Don't think death. You'll make a better decision if you take those things into account.

Unless you're a young adult! In that case disregard everything I wrote: You're Immortal!

 

[iesous77]

Think vegetable. Think paralysis. Don't think death. You'll make a better decision if you take those things into account.

Unless you're a young adult! In that case disregard everything I wrote: You're Immortal!

Im 23 and i sure as hell dont think im immortal, i know full well i hit a pothole at 80km/h and hit an on coming car im gone.

Ive had the no fear mentality of doing what i love while wrestling, cage fighting, american football, cycling, rock climbing. Whatever it is, ill risk everything for that high if i love it that much

 

[Martin318is]

Ive had the no fear mentality of doing what i love while wrestling, cage fighting, american football, cycling, rock climbing. Whatever it is, ill risk everything for that high if i love it that much

ah... I remember being that guy. Never did cage fighting or American football (obviously) but I was a rock climbing instructor by the age of 16 and I have done everything other than base jumping and parachuting - never interested enough to bother with those. I used to take every oppotunity I could to get my bike over 90kph...

Asside from the realisation that most people who stuff up doing these activities DON'T die - they get maimed for life - I've got kids now, so there is always that little voice in the corner of my hearing saying, "Is this worth what it would do to them?"

Enjoy the young rush while you can! I have one friend who is my age and still going nuts climbing, etc but everybody else has mellowed out and found their fun in less risky ways.